Key lever and type bar mounting for typewriting machines



Dec. 1, 1953 w, M, PATTON 2,661,087

KEY LEVER AND TYPE BAR MOUNTING FOR TYPEWRITING MACHINES Filed Oct. 13,1950 of the typewriting machine. ,includes a base t, only half of whichis disclosed iatented Dec. 1 1953 KEY LEVER AND TYPE BAR MOUNTING FORTYPEWRITING MACHINES Winifred M. Patton, Chicago, 111. ApplicationOctober 13, 1950, Serial No. 190,006

Claims.

This invention relates to a novel construction of typewriter wherein thekey lever and type bar jmounting is materially simplified tosubstantially reduce the number of parts involved and to enable atypewriter to be very economically manuffactured and sold.

More particularly, it is an aim of the present invention to provide a,simplified typewriting structure which readily adapts itself for use inconnection with all types of manually operated typewriters, particularlyportable typewriters and toy typewriters.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a typewriterstructure which would be extremely efficient and durable foraccomplishing its intendedpurpose and which is capable of being readilyrepaired or serviced. Still a further object of the invention is toprovide a novel key lever and type bar arrangement which will materiallysimplify the mounting of these parts and the housing or typewriter frameupon which the parts are supported.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafterbecome more fully apparent from the following description of thedrawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, andwherein: p Figure 1 is a fragmentary top'plan view illustratingapproximately one-half of a typewriting machine equipped with theinvention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof taken-substantially alonga plane as indicated by 'the line 2-2 of Figure 1; I

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the parts in adifferent position, and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating certain of theparts of the invention. Referring more specifically to the drawing, 5designates generally a portion only of a typewriter and constitutingapproximately one-half Said typewriter 5 and which is adapted to besupported on any suitable horizontal supporting surface such as a deskor table. Therrear portion of the base 6 is provided adjacent each endthereof with an upstanding bearing standard I, only one of which hasbeen illustrated and in which is journaled one end of the shaft 8 onwhich is mounted'the usual platen 9, only'one-half of which has beendisclosed. The platen 9 and the parts associated therewith constitute nopart ofthe present inbe described, into and out of engagement with saidplaten.

The novel feature of the typewriting machine 5 relates to the keyleverand type bar construction and mounting, designated generally I0. Thefront; arcuate edge I I of the base 6 which is convexly bowed isprovided adjacent each end thereof with an upstanding post I2, only oneof which has been illustrated and a bar I3 is supported at its ends onthe posts I2, said bar being secured to the posts I2 in any suitablemanner. The bar It is likewise bowed outwardly with respect to thetypewriter 5 from end-to-end thereof and is disposed above andsubstantially concentric to the front edge II of the base 6. Said bar I3is provided between the posts I2 with a series of notches I4, as bestillustrated in Figure 4, which are dis,- posed perpendicular to theplane of the base 6 and which open outwardly of the upper edge of thebar I3. The bar I3 is also preferably provided with a bore I5 whichextends longitudinally from end-to-end thereof through each of thenotches Ill intermediate of their ends.

A rack bar I6, which is shorter than the bar I3 is supported above thebase 0 by means of a pair of posts I], only one of which has beenillustrated, said bar It being disposed between the bar I 3 and plate sand, like the bar I3, with its plane perpendicular to the plane of thebase 6. Each end of the bar I6 is provided with a horizontally disposedapertured ear I25 which rests on one of the posts I I and which isdetachably secured thereto by a screw fastening is which extendsdownwardly through said ear and is detachably anchored in the post I?disposed therebeneath.

The bar I6 is disposed substantially concentric to prises a rod, beingprovided with a flattened intermediate portion 23 which loosely fitsinto one of the notches I4 and which is provided with an opening toregister with the bore I5. A single small rod 24 may extendlongitudinally through the bore I5 from end-to-end of the bar I3 andloosely through the opening of each flattened lever portion 23 formounting the individual levers 23 for selective rocking movement on thebar I3 or, if desired, two rods 24 may be provided each extending froman end of the bar I3 flattened eye 2'! at its terminal or free end. The,

opposite end portions of the levers. 22,. designated 28, extend from theopposite. outer. ends of the flattened intermediate lever portions 23and outwardly with respect to the bar [-32 and said lever portions 28are of. diiferent lengths and are bent at different angles with respectto the lever portions 23 and 25 so that the lever ends 28 of the keylevers 22 will all be disposed parallel. and will be spaced differentdistances from the lever supporting bar I3 in order that the-finger keys29, supported on the terminals of the lever ends 28 will be staggeredwith respect to one another, as illustrated in Figure 1. Each. lever end28 is provided with an upturned terminal portion 30 on which a fingerkey 29 is secured. The number of levers 22. and finger keys 29 of thecomplete typewriting machine may vary, approximately one-half the totalnumber having been illustrated in Figure 1.

The unit Ill also includes a plurality of type bars 3| corresponding innumber to the key levers 22, notches l4 and grooves 26. Each type bar 31has an angularly disposed extension or arm 32 at one end thereof whichis disposed along a portion of one side of a key lever and 26 includingits eye 2! and which is pivotally connected thereto by a pivot pin 33which extends through said arm or extension 32 and through the eye 21.Each arm 32 is provided with teeth out in the edge thereof forming avpinion seg ment 34, the-teeth of which are disposed around the pivot pin33. The teeth of the segment 34 may be spaced at slightly difierentdistances from the axis of the pivot 3-3, for a purpose which willhereinafter become apparent. Each pinion segment 34 engages in onegroove 20 and with certain of the teeth thereof meshing with certain ofthe teeth of the rack 2| of said groove.

Each type bar 3| is provided with a type carrying head 35 on the outerside of its opposite, free end and the back edge of each type bar 3|,adjacent its free end and opopsite to the type head 35, is provided withan enlargement or rest 3.5 which is adapted to normally engage on the.upper edge of the key lever bar l3, as illustratedin Figure 2. Acontractile spring 3'! is anchored to each key lever portion 25 andextends downwardly therefrom and away from said portion 25 and isanchored at its other end by an eye 38 to the base 6 near its arcuatefront edge so that the springs 31 tend to cause the levers 22. to swingclockwise on their pivots 24 to their positions of Figure 2 with the keysupporting ends 30 of said levers elevated, as seen in Figure 2, andwith the lever portions 25 and- 26 disposed in a lowermost position andso that the type bars 3! will be positioned in retracted positions andwith their portions 36 resting. on the bar |3.

Assuming that the parts are thusv positioned, as illustrated in Figure2, by striking the individual keys 29 in a conventional manner, thelever 22 thereof will be rocked onits pivot. 24 in a clockwise directionas seen in Figures 2 and 3 from the position of the parts as shown inFigure 2 and for moving the parts to their positions of Figure 3. Howthis is accomplished is readily apparent, since as each lever portion28, 30 is swung downwardly, the opposite end 25, 26 of said lever isswung upwardly and in moving upwardly carries the bar extension 32connected thereto upwardly therewith. As said bar extension 32' has itspinion segment 34' meshing with its associated rack 2|, as saidextension 32 is displaced upwardly its pinion 34 will ride the rack, 2|,tocausethe bar 32 to swing clockwise on. the pivot 33 as its extension32 moves upwardly so that when the key 29 of said lever 22 reached. thedepressed position of Figure 3 the type carrying head 35 of the bar 3|which is connected" to said key lever will have swung clockwise; on thepivot 33 through an arc sufiicient so that the key carrying head 35 willhave struck the platen 9. When pressure is released on the key. 29, the,spring 31 will rock the lever 22 clockwise back to its position ofFigure 2 thereby exerting a. downward'pull on the extension, 32connected, thereto as that the pinion segment thereof in moving down itsassociated rack portion 2| will cause its bar 3| to swingcounterclockwise back to its position of Figure 2. The relatively deepvgrooveslll function as guides to prevent any. lateral displacementv ofthe pinion segments 34' or the lever ends 26 or bar extensions 32. Itwill thus be seen that the type bars 3| are actually pivotally supportedsolely by the levers 22.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously beresorted to, without departing from. the spirit or scope of theinvention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a typewriting machine, a base, an arcuate key lever supporting bardisposed above a portion of said base, means for supporting said barabove the base, a plurality of key levers pivotally supportedintermediate of their ends on said bar and spaced relatively to oneanother longitudinally of the bar, said levers each having. an outer,key supporting end extending outwardly from the outer, convex side ofthe bar and an inner end including a portion extending normallydownwardly and inwardly from the inher, concave side of, said bar andhaving an upturned terminal portion, a type bar supported by each keylever having an angularly disposed extension at one end thereofpivotally connected to the free end of the upturned terminal portion of'the inner end of the key lever, the edge of said bar extension aroundsaid pivot being toothed to provide a pinion segment, each type barhaving an opposite type carrying free end, an arcuate rack bar disposedabove said base inwardly of the key lever supporting bar and concentricthereto, and, means for supporting the rack bar above the base, saidrack bar having longitudinally spaced transversely extending grooves inits convex side forming guideways in which said pinion segments aremovable, the bed portion of each groove being toothed to provide a rackfor meshing engagement with the teeth of the pinion segment disposed insaid groove.

2. A typewriting machine as in claim 1, and spring means connected tothe base and last mentioned endsof the key lever for swinging the lastmentioned key lever ends downwardly on the key lever pivots.

3. A typewriting machine as in claim 1, said key lever supporting barhaving longitudinally spaced notches for accommodating intermediateportions of the key levers and in which said intermediate portions areswingably disposed, and pivot means extending longitudinally through thekey lever supporting bar and through said notches and intermediate leverportions and pivotally connecting the key levers to the key leversupporting bar.

4. A typewriting machine as in claim 1, each type bar having a restadjacent its free end engaging on the key lever supporting bar when thetype bar is in a retracted position, the pinion segment of each type barbeing displaced upwardly of its rack and groove by the upward swingingmovement of the inner end of the-key lever connected thereto for causingsaid type bar to swing upwardly and out of engagement with the key leversupporting bar and over the upper edge of the rack bar.

5. In a typewriting machine, a plurality of key levers each pivotallymounted intermediate of the ends thereof and having an outer end and aninner type bar supporting end, a key fixed to and mounted on the outerend of each key lever, a type bar having an end pivotally connected tothe inner type bar supporting end of each lever, said type bar endhaving a pinion segment partially surrounding the pivotal connection ofthe key lever and type bar, and a stationary rack member having a rackportion in meshing engagement with and individual to each pinion segmentwhereby the opposite, free end of each type bar will be swung to aprojected platen engaging position when the key lever, connected to saidtype bar, is rocked in one direction and returned to a retracted,inoperative position when said key lever is rocked in the oppositedirection, said stationary rack member having grooves provided with bedportions defining said rack portions for guiding the pivotally connectedends of the key levers and type bars as the type bars are swung betweenprojected and retracted position.

WINIFRED M. PATTON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 209,634 Ward Nov. 5, 1878 493,252 Davidson Mar. 14, 18931,610,911 Wilson Dec. 14, 1926 2,059,574 Gebauer Nov. 3, 1936 2,375,793Kidrick May 15, 1945 2,577,0 6 Kargl Dec. 4, 1951

